Hope Floats
by kah-jeer-stin
Summary: We all know that Jin went to the tea shop to ask Zuko out, but someone must have talked her into doing it. And Zuko couldn't have just left her by herself with out an explanation. Here's me filling in the holes.
1. Crush

**Here you go guys, I finally got around to starting a new story. I know I wrote my other one in like a week in a half, but I'm afraid this one will probably take much longer since free time seems to be a rare luxury for me lately. So if you are planning on following this story, prepare yourself mentally to be patient with me. Now enough of my depressing ranting and on with the story!!!**

_Squawk! Oink! Rawr!_ Aang found himself ambushed by a multitude of exotic animals. He realized a bit too late that his plan to release them all at once and herding them to the open fields was not as thought through as it should have been. He'd been chasing after animals for hours and when he finally got some under control, he was forced to abandon them for another group causing even more trouble.

At the moment, he found himself occupied with the pursuit of a cheetah lion cub. Even though it was very young and its legs were still short and stubby, Aang found it surprisingly difficult to keep up. The chase led them to a fountain that acted as the town square for that particular section of the city. Running for all that he was worth, Aang stretched out his arm as far as it would go without losing his balance and curled his finger tips around the fur ball's tail.

The cub suddenly changed course ripping its tail out of Aang grip. _Boosh! _ Aang crashed into someone whose presence had been unknown to him…until he went crashing to the ground on top of him or her. They tumbled for several feet due to Aang's previous velocity. Aang immediately stood up to analyze just how embarrassed he should be and was horrified to discover he had crashed into a girl.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you and and and I was chasing that cheetah lion cub and—" he used his arms to indicate toward the cub that was sitting only a few feet away and watching…it almost looked amused at the trouble it had caused. Aang glared at it. "_Now_ you stop running away you little—"

"It's ok, really," the girl interrupted while sitting up. Aang held out his hand to her which she gratefully took and allowed him to help her on her feet. "It didn't hurt that bad."

Aang wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? Maybe you should sit down for a second or something. I was running pretty fast when I crashed into you." Aang allowed his mind to wander further. "I mean, you could have hit your head on the ground when I knocked you down, and," he grabbed his head for emphasis, "and you could have serious brain injuries and and and—"

The girl rolled her green eyes. "On second thought, maybe I should sit down." She made her way to the edge of the fountain and sat on the stone railing. This seemed to put Aang more at ease and he moved to sit by her.

As soon as he sat his eyebrows pulled together with concern as he examined her face. "I am really really sorry. I really should have been watching where I was going, I mean—"

"What's your name?" the girl interrupted.

Aang blinked dumbly at her and realized that he had not yet introduced himself…to someone he just bowled over. He smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. "Uh…I'm Aang."

The girl smiled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Aang. I'm Jin." Aang cautiously took her hand and gave it a gentle shake almost afraid that he would accidently break it. Jin's focus suddenly shifted from his face to his forehead and her eyes widened. "Oh wow. You must be the Avatar!"

Aang grinned. He couldn't hide how much he loved being recognized. "Yup! That's me!" he said pointing a thumb at himself in a show of pride. "So," he said boldly with his newly restored confidence, "what's a pretty girl like you doing here all alone?" He didn't ask this to imply anything other than that he thought she had a lovely face. Katara would always have his heart, but he still liked to make the ladies blush using his smooth talking charm.

It had the exact effect he was expecting. Jin blushed and looked down at her hands which were now toying with the folds in her dress. "Oh, I was just thinking. I come here often when there's something heavy on my mind." The ends of her mouth tilted upwards slightly in a small smile. She shifted her gaze to the sky before she sighed and returned her attention to her fidgeting hands once again. Aang recognized that look. He had seen it several times before…on his own face.

"You know," Aang said choosing his words carefully, "being the Avatar and all, I'm known to be pretty good with advice," Aang studied her expression for anything signifying that he might be out of line. "That is," he looked down, "if you want any."

"Oh," she sighed her attention still glued to her hands, "it's just this guy I like." Aang nodded, pleased that he had been correct with his assumption. She looked forward at something only she could see. "He's cute and polite but there's nothing overly special about him, so I don't know why I like him so much." She shrugged and looked down again.

"What's his name?" Aang asked.

"I don't know," Jin replied. She plucked a stray thread from her dress and absent mindedly twirled it around her finger. "I've never had a real conversation with him." She flicked the thread into the air and shifted her attention to combing her long brown hair with her fingers.

Aang smiled as he studied her dazed expression. "I know how you feel," he looked at the ground, "being afraid of showing people how you really feel. Being afraid of them not feeling the same way." He returned his attention to her and was mildly surprised to see she was making eye contact. He struggled for a moment to remember what he was going to say. "But…but believe me when I say that you shouldn't make my mistake by letting that fear control you. Because the longer you keep your feelings to yourself, the more they'll grow and the harder it will be to tell the person. And if you finally do work up the nerve to tell them," he sighed, "the more it will hurt if they reject you." He looked down at his feet and shuddered at the thought.

"Oh," Jin replied shifting her attention back to combing her hair, "I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way," she sighed, "he barely seems to notice me."

Aang laughed out loud and Jin whipped her head up at the unexpectedness of it. "He must be blind not to notice you."

Jin smiled and felt her face heat up. "Thanks."

"But," Aang continued, "if he really doesn't notice you, maybe all he needs is a little encouragement. Let him know you really do exist." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "You never know. Maybe he likes you just as much but has also been too afraid to say anything."

Jin smiled. "You really think so?" Her eyes pleaded for him to be right.

Aang smiled back and crossed his arms for finality. "There's only one way to find out."

A new determination suddenly lit up her face. "I think you're right." She looked forward. "I should stop being afraid of taking the situation into my own hands." She returned her gaze to Aang's face and she beamed at him. "Thank you Avatar. You are pretty good with advice."

"Please," he blushed and smiled, "call me Aang."

_Rawr! _The cheetah lion cub playfully crouched down and wagged its tail in the air. Until now, Aang had been completely oblivious to its presence. "Well," said Aang, "that's my signal to get back to work." He readied himself to jump on the cub and capture it.

"Allow me," said Jin. She pulled a piece of bread out of her sleeve and held it out to the cub. It jumped into her arms immediately and devoured the bread. Jin giggled as the cub then started to lick her face. The cub purred as Jin transferred it from her arms to Aang's.

"Wow!" exclaimed Aang, "I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," she replied.

"Well Jin," said Aang with a note of finality, "it was a pleasure to meet you, and I wish you luck with that blind kid you were talking about." She giggled.

"Thanks Ava-…Aang." She smiled. "I wish you luck with all these crazy animals that have been running around."

Aang smiled. "Go get him," he said with mock sternness. With that, he then clutched the cub tight to his chest and ran down the street.

Jin laughed with pure joy as she watched him fly down road. She then lifted her dress and ran home as fast as she could. She almost floated to her house. In her excitement, she could barely register that her spirit was still attached to her body. She must have spent twenty minutes in front of the mirror washing her face and braiding her hair.

As soon as she finished putting in the last hair tie, she looked at herself one last time. She took a deep breath and brought shaky hands to her face in an attempt to cool her burning cheeks. "Jin," she said to herself, "you must be crazy." Then she smiled. "But you can't help yourself and we both know it!" She gave herself one last grin of excitement as she grabbed a few coins off her dresser and made her way to her favorite tea shop hoping above hope that what the Avatar and her gut have been telling her about this boy would turn out to be true.


	2. Rejection

**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. To be honest, it was very painful to write because I had to pick apart and analyze the actual episode which is much harder than it looks. Hopefully the rest will be easier and faster to write since I get to make up my own stuff rather than just rewriting someone else's. Oh! and just a heads up, I might change the title of this story, because I'm not so sure 'Hope Floats' is going to fit with the rest of it, but we'll see. Enjoy ch.2! Even though there's nothing in it that you don't already know...mostly...**

Jin hugged her pillow as a steady flow of tears streamed down her face. How could she have made such a misjudgment? She buried her face into the pillow overcome with the shame of her own stupidity. Her body involuntarily stiffened as she accidently reviewed the day's events in her mind.

***

She sat there, holding her tea, and watching him. She couldn't figure out why, but the seemingly effortless way he walked, the way he held his shoulders back appeared to give him an air of confidence that greatly appealed to her. His features were also flawless. That was except for a very large scar encasing his left eye and most of that side of his face. She narrowed her eyes as she studied the unnatural disfigurement. This was no ordinary scar. It reeked of treachery and violence. Looking at it, she could almost feel the pain it must have caused this boy; physically and mentally.

He looked in her direction and their eyes accidently met. Embarrassed that she had been caught staring, she immediately looked away and blushed. Afraid to look up again, she looked down at her tea and realized she hadn't touched it the entire time. She took a sip and grimaced at its coldness.

The boy's voice whispering to the old man who also worked there triggered her eyes to snap up and lock onto him behind the counter. He had his back turned to her as he spoke to the older gentleman. Suddenly the old man's eyes shifted from the boy's face to hers. Her stomach did a flip flop. They were talking about her. A thousand questions buzzed through her mind. _What are they saying? Is it good or bad? Does he like me or is he freaked out because I was staring at him? _The more questions her mind fabricated, the quicker her heart rate became. His back was still turned to her, and she sensed a window of opportunity. She wanted to throw up.

She then forced herself to take a deep breath. Remembering what the Avatar had said to her, she stood up and made her way to the counter. _There's only one way to find out_, she thought to herself. She never quite realized just how far the counter was from her chair until now. With each step she took, her stomach became more twisted. Then all of a sudden, she was there and didn't know what to do.

She mentally slapped herself. Duh! This was a tea shop! People normally go to the counter to pay for the tea! "Thank you for the tea," she said. He immediately turned around to take her money and turned his back to her once again without a word as if by reflex. _He needs encouragement…isn't that what the Avatar said? _She thought to herself. "What's your name?" she asked with a smile while he still had his back to her.

The boy spun around. "My name's Lee," he replied immediately again, as if by reflex. "My uncle and I just moved here." That last bit of information surprised her mostly because it was completely irrelevant to her question. What would compel him to tell her such a thing? Perhaps because he feels lonely and outcast in a new place and was fishing for companionship? She liked this explanation of hers and it gave her the boost of confidence she needed to complete her mission.

"Hi Lee," she replied to him, "My name's Jin." She continued to smile at him. With her excitement at finally having a conversation, she couldn't help it. _Keep it moving! _She scolded herself. "Thank you and uh," she looked away unable to meet his eyes. "Well…I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime." She cautiously met his eyes to analyze his response. She continued to smile in the hopes that it would conceal just how nervous and insecure she felt.

"He'd love to!" exclaimed the friendly older gentleman who Lee claimed was his uncle. _Really? Does this mean they were really talking about me? And about how much he likes me? _All this excitement made her feel like floating to the ceiling. "Great!" she exclaimed, her face beaming. "I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown!" She then walked out of the shop without looking back.

She hadn't planned on asking him out and could hardly believe that she did. She didn't have any idea what they would do. _The fountain!_ She suddenly remembered. She loved the fountain and it was the most romantic place in the city at night.

Shaking her head, she realized that probably wasn't a good idea. Romance on a first date? That would come across as way too strong and probably scare him away. She settled for the most common alternative: dinner. She smiled to herself. It would be a good opportunity to talk and learn a little more about each other before they got to the romance.

Her muscles stiffened. Would they even get that far? She shook her head before any more of her insecurities moved in. She had asked him out with only hope working on her side, and she succeeded. She would not allow herself to drown in self doubt. Not after such a victory. She then occupied herself with thinking positive thoughts as she made her way home.

***

Jin stared at her reflection in the mirror. Until now, she had never noticed just how plain she looked. She had no identifiable features that classified her as beautiful or ugly. She supposed that her more appealing aspects included her green eyes and her long brown hair, but the same could be said for most of the women in Ba Sin Se. _I hope he doesn't think I'm too boring, _she thought. _How can I make myself stand out from all the other women?_

She studied her braided pigtails in discontentment. They were so droopy…so…boring. They seemed to say, "I'm a social outcast that doesn't do anything for fun except sit in tea shops and watch people." Her hair went flying in all directions as her fingers hastily untangled her braids. _He needs to see that I like to have fun too, _she thought.

After being in braids her hair was fluffy and kinky. Struggling slightly to smooth it out, she pulled it back into a high pony tail and left out some shorter chunks for her bangs. After finally getting the hair tie around the thick bundle, she studied her reflection again. Her frizzy pony tail was so fluffed, it spiked out in all directions. She smiled deviously at herself. Now _that _was fun.

She jumped when she noticed the red glow of the sunset illuminating her room through her window. She grabbed some coins for the restaurant and checked her appearance one last time. Satisfied with herself, she hastily went down stairs and out the door. She stopped on the doorstep and took a deep breath. "This is it, Jin," she told herself, "Please don't screw it up." She then began her brisk walk towards the shop.

***

Jin stared at Lee across the table struggling to start a conversation. She decided that small talk was not one of his talents. It felt more like an interview than a conversation. "Excuse me, Sir," the waiter inquired to Lee, "would you and your girlfriend care for desert?" Jin's stomach jumped at the word 'girlfriend'.

"She is not my girlfriend!" Lee replied with more volume than necessary. How embarrassing! Jin didn't know what to do or say, so she stuffed her face with a huge mouthful of noodles. She wouldn't feel obligated to comment on such a statement if her mouth was full. "Uh," Lee started, "you have…quite an appetite for a girl." The expression he wore was so awkward it was almost comical. He looked down and twiddled his thumbs.

"Um," Jin replied, "thanks?" She suddenly felt sorry for him. He obviously wasn't comfortable around people he didn't know very well. She had to find a way to help him loosen up. "So…Lee," she began fishing for something that might start a conversation, "What were you and your uncle doing before you came here?"

"Uh…we've been…traveling around for a long time," Lee replied. This sparked Jin's curiosity.

"Oh! Why were you traveling so much?"

"We were…a part of…this traveling circus." His expression was casual.

Jin's excitement grew. "What did you do? Wait," she tapped her chin, "let me guess." She thought for a moment then said the first thing that came to her mind. "You juggled," she pointed a finger at him.

His expression malformed from casual to hard. "Yes, I juggled."

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle," Jin exclaimed. She gathered a few cups and utensils she had in front of her and shoved them across the table. "Can you show me something?"

His eyebrows shot up and betrayed his uneasiness. He cautiously took the items from her and tossed them in the air only for each one to come crashing back down on his head. "I haven't practiced for a while," he said in explanation.

Jin's heart skipped a beat. He looked so sweet and innocent sitting there across the table with food and smashed dishes littering his face. "It's alright," she replied. She couldn't care less if he could juggle well or not because right now, she was simply elated just to have him for company. A thought occurred to her and her excitement compelled her to blurt it out before fully thinking it through. "Hey," she said still staring at his adorable apologetic face, "I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city."

***

She knew she told herself the fountain was off limits, but she couldn't help herself after he pulled her heart strings like that. Excitement pulsed through her as she ran toward her sanctuary with Lee in tow. "I'm so excited for you to see the firelight fountain," she panted behind her. "The lamps make the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way." Her anticipation grew with each step they took towards their destination.

They finally arrived to a dull gray ordinary fountain that in no way matched the description Jin had just given it. They lanterns surrounding the pool were dreary and lifeless. "I can't believe it!" she shouted, "They aren't lit." Disappointment lingered on the edge of her eyelids waiting to spill and betray her. She couldn't bare look at him and in her shame stared at the ground instead. _I guess my romantic fantasy wasn't meant to be after all._

"Close your eyes," suddenly came Lee's voice. She looked at him to find that his face was very stern. "And don't peek," he warned.

Jin smiled as the disappointed died away and the excitement returned. She eagerly covered her eyes and waited to be told otherwise. A series of _whiff's _and _sizzles _immediately followed and her curiosity threatened to disobey him.

"Ok," he said, "now you can look." Jin removed her hands.

"Oh wow," she said in awe. Her eyes soaked in the light of dozens of shining lanterns reflecting in the crystal clear water of the fountain as she walked around it admiring its beauty. "What happened? How did they light?" She looked at him, her eyes slightly narrowed, "What did you-" Her questions were cut off by his smile and she suddenly forgot that she ever wanted an explanation. She smiled back and stood by his side as they admired the fountain in unison.

What happened after that, she didn't know exactly what she was thinking. All she knew was that she wanted so badly to thank him for making this moment more special than she had ever imagined it. She reached for and grabbed his hand turning him to face her. Still holding his hand, she gazed into his eyes.

"I brought you something," he said suddenly as he held whatever it was between their faces. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea."

"Lee," she said as she brought her other hand up to take it, "this is so sweet."

"Don't thank me," he replied as he released her hand and took a few steps away, "It was my uncle's idea." He turned his head away from her. "He thinks you're our most valuable customer."

Jin analyzed the gift and smiled. "Your uncle is a good teacher." Her attention shifted back to his turned away face and her body began to think and act on its own accord. A few steps closed the distance between them before she reached an unusually bold hand to his far cheek to turn his face towards hers. "I have something for you too," she said, "Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

Lee narrowed his eyes at her but eventually obeyed. Jin swallowed hard in attempt to cure the nervous lump in her throat. She took one step closer so that their toes touched and stood on her tippy toes. After giving him a peck on the lips and moving away, he closed the gap between them once again and returned the gesture.

As suddenly as it happened, it was over. One moment he was inches from her and the next he was half way across the fountain. "What's wrong?" Jin asked almost desperately.

***

Jin's body convulsed as she sobbed into her pillow. She could not force herself to sleep as those two words haunted her thoughts: It's complicated.


	3. Fear

**Just a warning, I may change the title of the story eventually because it seems like the more I write, the more "Hope Floats" seems like a randomly selected title with no meaning. So anyway, here's chapter 3...finally. Enjoy! Please review!!!**

The tea pot bubbled and spit at Zuko as it boiled. He hated it in this miserable tea shop and the only reason he put up with it was because of Uncle. He watched the pot, but his mind dwelled elsewhere. A horrible guilt had been laid upon his shoulders since that night and it felt heavier and heavier with each passing moment. He had spent the remainder of that night beating himself up for his idiotic impulse to run away without another word and his even greater mistake: not having the guts to go back and explain.

Uncle had not been pleased with him either. The following morning, Zuko found himself ambushed with seemingly endless questions about Jin eventually forcing Zuko to cofess what had actually happened. As if he didn't feel horrible enough for what he did, Uncle felt obligated to double the weight of his guilt. Uncle would not let him rest until he apologized and provided Jin with an adequate explanation (excluding their actual identities).

"You _know_ why I did it!" Zuko shouted at Uncle. "I could never have a relationship with anyone here because I can never be truly honest with anyone!" He clenched his fists in frustration.

"Yes, I understand, Prince Zuko," Uncle replied sternly, "but it is no excuse for the way you handled it." He turned his back to Zuko to tend to the tea pot as he continued his admonishment. "You seem to understand little about the female heart, Zuko." He poured himself a cup of tea. "You know Jin is a very nice girl and you find nothing unattractive about her or her character." He turned to face him and shook his head. "But what you don't know is that your rash actions have most certainly brought her to assume the opposite."

Enduring Uncle's seemingly endless wisdom was nearly unbearable at times like these mostly because Uncle was almost always right. How he acquired such wisdom, though, would always remain a mystery to Zuko. However, Zuko had learned on many occasions (albeit grudgingly) that it was always best to trust Uncle's advice so it was then settled that the next time he ran into the girl (because he had no idea where she lived) he would explain himself and make a mends.

That day he waited for her to come for her daily tea. He waited all morning. No show. He waited all afternoon. No show. He waited while closing up and even a few minutes afterwards. Still…no show. Anxiety welled up inside him. Uncle was more accurate about the situation than Zuko had given him credit for. He had really offended her so badly to the point she has no wish to seek an explanation regarding his behavior the previous night or to even see him. He slumped his back against the wall outside the tea shop and gradually slid down till he sat on the cold earth. Burying his face in his hands, he let loose a heavy sigh. "What's wrong with me?"

***

The following day, Zuko came in for work with dark circles under his eyes due to a restless night. As he served customers and took orders, he rehearsed his speech over and over in his head. He glanced at the door every time it opened to reveal a new customer and each time his eyes bore disappointment. He waited the entire day once again for an appearance, but received a repeat of the day before. No sign of her. His anxiety and guilt doubled in size and weight. He tried telling himself that it was easier this way, but his heart would NOT let it go. No matter how hard he tried to distract himself, he couldn't get those green eyes out of his head.

He never intended to give her the impression that he didn't enjoy the date, because the truth was he had enjoyed himself more that night than he ever had in years. Zuko didn't know how she did it, but for that night, she made him forget. He forgot why he was hiding in the Earth Kingdom. He forgot about his family problems. She made him feel accepted and loved. She made him feel…normal. _Normal._ That word seemed so foreign to him now.

He never quite understood why people envied the lives of royalty when in all actuality royalty were the ones to be pitied. If only Jin knew how great of a gift she had given him, if only for one night, she would certainly not feel so insignificant. He wanted to tell her that. He wished so badly there was a way to tell her that without betraying their secret.

***

Two more days passed with the same disappointing results. Zuko stopped rehearsing his speech and gradually began to accept that she wasn't coming back. Though every once in a while he would throw a quick glance at the door in the hopes that it would open to reveal her smiling face. Each time his heart sank in disappointment. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. He went in the back and asked, no, demanded that Uncle come out and serve tables while he brewed tea in the back. At least back there, he wouldn't be tortured with the possibility of seeing her every time the door opened.

Now here he was lost in thought. He subconsciously kept an eye on the tea pot in front of him while his conscious mind was reliving that night over and over again coming up with every little detail he could have done differently and how that would have affected his current situation.

Eventually he started beating himself up for going on the date in the first place. If he never went, he wouldn't care about Jin like he did now and she wouldn't have discovered just how awful a person he was. Reliving the night also gave him insight to just how badly he screwed it up. At dinner he had been rude and uncooperative in the conversation. Yet after all the awkwardness he had caused, she still found it within her heart to open up to him by showing him her favorite place and reward him with a kiss. He closed his eyes as he thought of how wonderful that kiss could have been. It was a very shy kiss at first and it lit a spark within him to deepen it. But as soon as he moved to do such, he remembered who he was and what he was doing here and why he shouldn't be there. What if she found out who he really was? Would she hate him? He decided very quickly that he didn't want to find out and so made a physical and emotional retreat from her in what seemed like an involuntary defense mechanism. An action that he now wished more than anything to take back.

"Lee," came Uncle's distant voice from the counter, "I could use a hand out here." Irritation at Uncles interruption of his thoughts coursed through him as he stormed out of the back.

"What do you want?" he spat impatiently at Uncle who looked unusually pleased with himself. His impatience was immediately replaced with alarm and panic as his eyes darted to the far table. There sat Jin hands folded in front of her and eyes looking down at them.

"There's a young lady at the far table who could use a nice hot cup of tea," Uncle instructed before winking and elbowing Zuko in the ribs. After being frozen with shock, Zuko dashed into the back as fast he could before Jin could discover his presence.

***

Jin sat at the table trying her best to hold still while she waited for Lee to come and talk to her. She couldn't believe she finally worked up the nerve to come in here after days of cowardliness, and now she wished she hadn't. When she first walked in, she half expected to see him right away serving tables as he normally did, but her heart sunk when he was nowhere in sight. She was about to walk out when the elderly gentleman Lee claimed was his uncle ambushed her.

"Why hello young lady! Jin is it? My nephew has told me much about you." He grabbed her arm and escorted her to her usual table not giving her a chance to protest. "We haven't seen you in a few days. I was beginning to worry you've found another tea shop better than this one." He winked at her. "Now how about a nice hot cup of tea?" Jin opened her mouth to answer but was immediately cut off. "On second thought, I'll get Lee out here to take your order." His eyes twinkled while he schemed and he rubbed his chin. "He been slacking off in the back for far too long now."

Jin's eyes widened and she could feel the blood drain from her face. "Uh, Sir, I don't think—"

"If you'll just wait a moment, I'll go fetch him," he interrupted before walking off. Jin's heart sped up double time as she considered getting up and leaving while the old man's back was turned. Yet she couldn't bring herself to move out of fear of appearing to be twice the fool for chickening out. So she stayed put and glued her eyes to her hands in an attempt to calm herself. _Jin, I sure hope you know what you're doing._

***

Zuko hugged his stomach as he sat in the alley behind the store. He had never been this scared of anything. Not the Avatar, not the fierce water benders of the north, not even his father. What was it about this girl that made him tremble like this?

The sound of Uncle's voice behind him made him jump. "Zuko…are you hiding?" Uncle made no effort to hide his amusement.

Zuko glared at him. "No! I am NOT hiding!" He looked straight forward then at the ground unable to make eye contact with Uncle. "I…I just needed some air."

Uncle bent and sat beside him, putting himself on the same level. "Out of all the emotions mankind has, love is certainly the most intriguing. It is also the most terrifying. It can make a man do things he wouldn't normally do. Like risking exposing himself through fire bending in public in the hopes it will bring a smile to her face or cowering in an alley way like you are doing now." Zuko glared at the ground as his body stiffened. He certainly didn't love the girl. Who did Uncle think he was assuming such a thing? Zuko remained silent. "However," Uncle continued," although our rationality is weakened by love, we must learn to think straight despite our fearful instincts." Uncle stood up and stepped out in front of him and Zuko turned his head to the side to avoid eye contact. "Zuko," Uncle reached down and gently turned his chin up forcing him to look. There was no need for him to say anything else; his grave eyes said everything.

Zuko yanked his head out of Uncle's grasp and looked away once again. "I don't love her," he spat. Uncle shook his head with a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Then why are you so afraid to face her?" Zuko stiffened once again and looked up into Uncle's aged face. He wore a smug expression with one eyebrow raised as if challenging Zuko to defend himself. After a moment of simply letting the rhetorical question sink in, Uncle returned inside the building leaving Zuko in the alley.

Uncle was wrong. He didn't love her. He barely knew her. Taking a deep breath he got up, went inside, and approached the swinging door separating the back room from the public seating area. He was NOT a coward and he was NOT weak! Now he was going to prove it. Using more force than necessary, he punched the swinging door open.


	4. Friendship

**In this chapter, Zuko gets really out of character, but I did it on purpose. I did it to demonstrate how Jin is able to unlock the part of Zuko's personality that he represses most of the time. So basically he acts like he does when he joins the avatar later. Just thought I'd give you a heads up before you started reading and thinking that I'm loosing my mind. Enjoy chapter 4!**

As soon as Zuko's formerly determined legs took him to his destination, he suddenly felt weak in the knees. All he could do was stand there stupidly, stare at the floor, and twiddle his thumbs while he was painfully aware of her eyes boring into him. It was silent for what seemed like forever before Jin decided to break the ice.

"Well...as far as awkward moments go this is definitely memorable." Zuko looked up to meet her gaze and was surprised to see her face was bright red, but not angry. Relief washed over him as he pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.

"So…" he began fishing for something to say, "how are you?" Not exactly original, but it was a start.

"Oh," she began, and then paused. She tilted her head slightly to the side and looked away for a second as if trying to piece together the rest of her sentence. She opened her mouth and took a short breath as if she was about to say it, but then stopped herself and instead let the breath out in a brief sigh. "Good," she said as she shifted her gaze to her hands before glancing up at his face and down again.

Zuko knew he should be the one addressing the subject weighing the air down, but instead said the first thing that came to his mind in order to avoid it. "The weather is beautiful today." He couldn't believe he just said that. If there was a list of the dumbest things that ever came out of his mouth, that would definitely be in the top five. He resisted the urge to slap his forehead and hide under the table and instead looked away as the color rushed to his cheeks.

Despite how stupid he sounded, Jin gave him a small smile as if she were amused at his social awkwardness. "Yes, we are very fortunate for the sun to be out today." They both sat there looking down at the table, neither one wanting to bring up the subject first. Then at the same time they both took a breath to say something and both paused to let the other proceed. Zuko decided to be the one to bring it up. However, he did not want to discuss it here.

"Do you want to," he began, "go for a walk?" He forced himself to look her in the eye and was relieved to see her give him a shy smile and a small nod. "Great," he said, "let me just tell my uncle that I'll be taking my break." He stood up and made his way back to the counter. Uncle seemed to have been watching them the whole time.

"Go already, Lee," Uncle said before Zuko could get out one word, "I'll cover for you. Take all the time you need." Zuko nodded and turned to leave. "Oh and Lee," Zuko turned around. Uncle held up a finger sternly and his expression was very grave. "Choose your words carefully." Zuko nodded and turned to leave once again.

Iroh watched as his nephew returned to Jin and uttered a few quiet words before disappearing with her into the sunshine. _What a lovely young lady_, he thought to himself. It was a shame Zuko had no intention of courting her. Since the day they were banished from the fire nation, all Iroh wished for was Zuko's happiness. However, it seemed no matter how much Iroh prodded and pushed him, Zuko refused to see a blessing even if it was shoved under his nose. _Oh well, _he thought, _I could always paste a '_lady friend wanted' _sign to the back of his robes. _He chucked to himself as he went into the back to fetch a fresh pot of tea.

***

Since the walk started, Jin found it difficult to look Lee in the eye and found herself staring at her feet most of the time. Every once in a while she'd steal a glance at him and discovered he was having the same problem.

"So…" he started. He reached an arm up and scratched the back of his head as he looked at the sky. "…about last night."

"Stop," Jin interrupted. Lee looked at her face and raised his good eyebrow. She made eye contact for a brief moment before looking at the ground again. "I just want to say that it wasn't your fault." She crossed her arms. "I've thought it over and I realized that I was way out of line." She let out a humorless chuckle. "I mean, I don't even know you. Sure, we went on a date and all, but that's no reason for me to get all mushy like that." She suddenly found herself waving her arms around to emphasize while she spoke. "Dinner was acceptable for a first date, but then I got all carried away and had to take you to the fountain and then you were all sweet because I was embarrassed and then, I don't know I just got carried away and—"

She was interrupted when he caught one of her waving hands in his own before it smacked him in the face. "Oops," she uttered before snatching her hand back and tightly crossing it around her midsection. "There I go getting carried away again," she looked away, "I'll shut up now."

"No no!" he said frantically, "It's ok, really." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Besides, it's me who should be apologizing." He shrugged his shoulders. "I shouldn't have run off like that."

"It's ok," Jin replied, "I…I understand." Jin looked up at his face which was looking at the ground as they walked. "But…just out of curiosity," she shrugged, "why did you?" She immediately regretted asking that question and bit her lip out of fear of an honest answer. _Was it me that he didn't like after all? _

Lee looked her in the eyes while he took a deep breath. His expression changed from thoughtful to almost desperate while his lips struggled to form words that didn't want to be said. He eventually let out his breath in a deep sigh and looked forward. "Well…it's ah…." He bit his lower lip before he looked her in the eyes again. "It's complicated."

As frustration got the better of her, Jin stepped a couple paces ahead of him, turned around, and stopped, forcing him to face her. "Uncomplicate for me."

Lee looked to the side and bit his lip as she looked at him expectantly. "Well…It's a long story."

Jin smiled. "I've got all the time in the world." She turned around and continued to walk. She paused for a moment in order to allow him to catch up to her and then proceeded to walk while she looked expectantly up at his face once again.

Uneasiness seemed to be overwhelming Lee as he shook his head searching for the words to say. "W-well when I uh…" he looked at her, "when I was a…" he shook his head and looked down.

Jin felt sympathy for him and suddenly felt bad for trying to force this out of him. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." His head snapped up to return her eye contact as they both stopped walking. Jin was overwhelmed by the amount of grief and pain his eyes exposed for a brief moment before vanishing behind an emotionless wall. "Uh," she started, trying to remember what she was going to say. "The important part is that we got passed the whole botched date issue right?"

Lee looked to the side, then back again. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I accept your apology for running away and you accept mine for kissing you right?"

The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly as he nodded.

"Great! Glad that's over," she rubbed imaginary sweat from her forehead and started walking again. "Now let's talk about something else. Tell me about your uncle. Is he always so nosy when it comes to matchmaking?"

Lee chuckled lightly. "Yeah, he is."

They talked for hours about various subjects. Lee was a bit uncooperative in the conversation at first, but slowly opened up and was soon laughing and making jokes along with her. As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, Jin, started by how much time had gone by, mentioned that she should be getting home and Lee offered to walk her there. Their walk came to an end on her door step.

Jin stood there in awkward silence while Lee stared at the ground. "Well Lee," she began needing to break the silence, "thanks for the walk." She smiled.

He smiled back. "You're welcome." She continued to smile as she put a hand on the door knob. Lee turned to walk away when a thought just occurred to her.

"You know what Lee?" He spun around on his heel and she looked him over for a moment. He seemed less rigid and more relaxed than she had ever remembered seeing him. All that time she would go to the tea shop to watch him, he always seemed tense and ready to fight at a moment's notice. Now his shoulders were slumped, his hands leisurely resting in his pockets, and his face wasn't frowning. That poor nervous boy she went on a date with what seem like ages ago had completely vanished and was replaced with the laid back charming guy standing in front of her now. Jin found it impossible not to smile as she cocked her head to the side. "You're a pretty good friend."

Zuko stopped breathing for a moment while he processed what Jin had just said. _Friend?_ He had almost forgotten what the word meant. Growing up, he had no one to turn to other than his mother and Iroh. Is this what friendship felt like? Perhaps this is what he'd been craving all along. He returned Jin's gaze and smiled. "So are you." She beamed at him as she turned the knob and disappeared inside the house. "So are you," he said to himself, "more than you'll ever know."

***

The walk back to the small apartment he and Uncle shared seemed to take hardly any time at all while Zuko pondered his afternoon. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so much or had that much fun with any one person. Normally he felt awkward around girls, but after a while, he felt completely comfortable with Jin. They had carefully avoided the touchy subject of his past, but Jin had no problem telling him about hers. Apparently she was 16 years old and lived with her grandmother. Jin had moved in with her to help her grandmother in her frail old age while her parents and 5 younger siblings lived on the opposite end of Ba Sing Se. Zuko found it puzzling that someone would give up their loving family to take care of a crazy elderly person. He wouldn't have given up a nice family for anything in the world. But Jin was just that good of a person. He respected her for that.

When Zuko pushed open the door to the apartment, he found uncle watering his flowers on the window sill. "How was your evening, Prince Zuko," Iroh asked as he turned around to face him, watering can in hand. He cocked an eyebrow, "And tell the truth this time."

Zuko smiled as he lightly reflected on the day's events. "It was nice." Then he did something very un-Zuko-like. He poured himself a cup of tea, sat down, and told Iroh all about it. Uncle listened, laughed, and added his two cents worth every now and then, but let Zuko talk the rest of the time.

After Zuko exhausted every last part of his evening in his anecdote, he headed for his room. "Good night, Uncle," he said curtly before disappearing behind the door.

"Good night, Zuko," Iroh replied. He smiled to himself. "It brings me joy to know you have finally found happiness."

**I hope you liked it. Please comment! I need motivation to start the next chapter...**


	5. Sparks

**Ladies and gentlemen! I bring the late late LATE chapter 5 which has been way too long in coming! I've already got a good start on ch. 6 so hopefully it won't take as long. Enjoy!**

"Uncle! I need two jasmines, one green, and one brown!"Zuko shouted towards the back.

"Here you are, Nephew," Iroh replied as he handed him a tea filled tray.

"Thank you." Zuko took the tea. Uncle smiled at him that devious smile he usually had when he was about to say something clever. "What?" Zuko asked slightly uneasy.

Uncle raised his eyebrows. "Nothing," he said a little defensively, "you're just in an unusually good mood today."

Zuko glared at him before turning his back to deliver the tea making Iroh chuckle before returning to his brewing. As Zuko was delivering the last two teas, he heard the door squeak open. "I'll be right with you," he called over his shoulder.

"No, by all means, take your time," came Jin's voice. Zuko smiled before turning around and looking at her. "I wouldn't want you tripping over your feet on my account." Zuko choked out a brief laugh remembering that he had tripped on their long walk the other day and Jin teasing him for it afterwards. Jin giggled at him before walking to her usual table. Zuko followed her.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

Jin frowned and looked at the ceiling for a moment while she thought then shrugged. "Surprise me."

Lee thought for a moment and smiled. He held up a finger as he left signaling he'd be right back. Jin simply smiled in return and leaned back in her chair while leisurely crossing her arms. As he disappeared behind the swinging door, she used the time alone to overlook the place. She'd been here a thousand times, but never really took the time to really look at it. It was the everyday average tea shop. Green walls, quaint wooden tables, nothing special. Then she took to studying the other customers. After a quick overlook of all the tables, she found no one who appeared under forty years old. She smiled to herself. Everyone thought it was odd she enjoyed tea so much at such a young age. "It'll stunt your growth," Grandmother always used to say, but that didn't stop her for acquiring a taste for it and making it a part of her identity. Her day just didn't feel the same without her usual cup of tea…and it didn't feel the same without her time with Lee.

"Here you are, young lady," came Lee's voice from beside her. The sudden interruption of her thought's made Jin's stomach jump. Lee was holding a tray with what appeared to be Earl Grey tea with a biscuit on the side.

"Why thank you, young man," said Jin trying to mimic Lee's fancy tone. "It was quite kind of you to bring this out for me. What a gentleman. Here," she handed him the coupon he gave her ages ago, "Take this as a token of my gratitude." After Lee bowed and took the scrap of paper from her, Jin took a sip of her tea while sticking out her pinky obnoxiously far. This provoked a laugh out of Lee as he took the seat across from her. She then ripped a small chunk off the biscuit and popped it in her mouth. "These are pretty good! I didn't know you guys even had these."

Lee shrugged. "I guess there's a lot more to this place than meets the eye."

Jin smiled sensing a hidden meaning to his words as she popped another small chunk of biscuit in her mouth. "These kind of remind me of earth cakes."

Lee raised his only eyebrow. "Of what?"

Jin's eyes widened. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, "Don't tell me you've never heard of an earth cake!" When Lee shook his head Jin let out a low whistle. "Boy, they must have really sheltered you as a child."

Lee was silent for a moment as he looked down at his hands apparently lost in thought. "You could say that," he eventually said.

Knowing she must have hit a nerve one way or another, she backed off with the teasing. "Well, you don't know what you're missing. They're about this big," she put her thumbs and forefingers together to make a circle, "and they're shaped like the symbol for earth," she smiled and shrugged, "so consequently they're called earth cakes."

Lee choked out a short laugh. "I thought it was because they tasted like dirt."

Jin laughed along with him. "Well I never said they were named well." She took another chunk of the biscuit and proceeded while she chewed. "They make them all kinds of different flavors. Chocolate's my favorite. Sometimes they'll put green frosting on it so you don't know what flavor it is until you bite into it."

She smiled and looked past Lee's face as pleasant memories flooded her mind. "We used to do this game at our house when we'd have one earth cake for each of us and who ever got the chocolate one had the power to make any of the other earth cake losers do one thing for them. And this thing could be just about anything as long as it wasn't dangerous. When Mom got it, she'd make us kids do the dishes."

"And what did you do when you won?" Lee asked.

In response Jin leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Zuko raised his eyebrow as well to match her expression. "It must have been horrible. Terrifying. The worst thing you could ask anyone to do." He squinted his eyes for effect and pinched his voice to create a disgusted tone. "You made them rub your feet didn't you…"

"Charming," Jin replied in a stuck up airy tone as she continued the role play, "but no. I'd tell you just what it was I'd do, young chap, but then I'm afraid I would have to kill you."

Zuko stifled a chuckle as he realized the irony of her words. Because he would be the one in that position if he revealed anything of his past. "Kill me?" he replied. "With what? The power of foot odor?"

Jin burst out laughing and Zuko soon followed. "Oh my goodness, Lee!" Jin squeaked between convulsions. "Foot odor?" She snorted and bent over in silent laughter.

"Yeah, pretty dumb huh?" Zuko's stomach muscles ached as he tried in vain to stop as the laughter threatened to suffocate him. What was he thinking joking about foot odor? But to his surprise he didn't feel embarrassed about it. Not with Jin.

The laughter steadily died down leaving Zuko and Jin taking deep breaths and wiping tears from their eyes. "Hey!" Jin exclaimed. "We should go do something."

"Like what?" Zuko raised his eyebrow.

Jin shrugged. "I dunno…just something."

Zuko stole a quick glance at the door. "Now?" Jin smiled with excitement and nodded vigorously. "Ok? Um. I'll just tell my uncle first." With that Zuko stood up and made his way to the back to acquire permission. "Uncle?" he said as he poked his head through the door. "I'll be taking my break now."

"Alright, Lee," Uncle called back, "But you have to promise to have fun." Then he winked. Zuko rolled his eyes and Iroh chuckled.

After taking off his apron and shoving it under the counter, he wove through the tables back to Jin. "Alright I've got about twenty minutes for your 'something' so we better get started."

Jin's eyes lit up. "I know just the thing." She grabbed what was left of her biscuit and then grabbed his hand and almost dragged him out the door.

Jin then proceeded to drag him through the streets, apparently knowing exactly where she was going. "Where are you taking me?" Zuko demanded.

Jin smiled back at him. "That's for me to know and for you to find out." She tugged on his arm harder as she quickened their pace to a jog.

"What's the rush?" Zuko panted.

"You said you only had twenty minutes. I want you to get fullest experience possible," she replied without slowing their pace.

Zuko racked his mind for what they could possibly be doing when Jin suddenly slowed down to a brisk walk. As he caught his breath, Zuko took in his surroundings. He didn't recognize it at first because of the daylight and the unlit lanterns, but soon discovered Jin had taken them to the very fountain they had been at what seemed like ages ago. Confused, Zuko looked at Jin and searched her face for an explanation.

Jin smiled and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Lee. I promise not to plant one on you this time." Zuko felt the heat rush to his cheeks but was relieved that she didn't appear to notice. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her left over biscuit. "I've actually got something else in mind." After tearing the biscuit in half, she offered him the larger chunk. "Here, take it and follow me." She took off toward the fountain and Zuko followed like a lost puppy still clueless about her intentions for an old biscuit. She sat on the edge of the fountain and Zuko took the place beside her. She looked at his face and must have guessed how confused he was. "What's wrong, Lee? Haven't you ever fed the birds before?"

As realization washed over him, Zuko resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "Oh! Yeah, duh. Of course that's what we're doing." What else would they be doing? This girl seemed to have numbed his common sense. Jin giggled and squeezed his shoulder.

"It's okay, Lee, everyone has brain trouble before lunch." Her hand on his shoulder sent unexpected tingles down his arm. "Now all you have to do is sit and not look so scary and wait for them to come to you." She released his shoulder and began to tear her biscuit into smaller pieces.

Zuko chuckled and rubbed where her hand had touched his shoulder. "Yeah I know. Despite my sheltered childhood without earth cakes, I have actually fed the birds before." He began to tear his biscuit into crumbs as well and toss them several feet away. "My mother and I used to feed the turtle ducks together all the time." His stomach jumped and he bit his lower lip after realizing he had revealed a personal detail from his childhood that he had not told anyone since his exile. And without thinking about it! At least it didn't betray his true identity. He would have to be more careful of what came out of his mouth next time.

Jin didn't seem to notice how vulnerable sharing that one memory made him feel. She took it as normal conversation and added a memory of her own. "My family and I used to do this all the time too." She smiled as she continued to toss biscuit crumbs to the growing flock of birds at their feet. "Whenever a loaf of bread went stale, we'd take it to the park and spend the whole afternoon feeding it to the birds." She giggled. "We used to have these stupid contests of who could attract the most birds."

"Then the loser had to rub your feet," Zuko added.

Jin elbowed him hard in the ribs and giggled, but continued to feed the birds. Suddenly she covered her mouth and turned her head away as she coughed violently for a brief moment. Concern rushed through him as Zuko's head snapped around and examined her face for anything out of the ordinary. "You okay?" Then he realized he had unknowingly put a hand on her back. He snatched it back as sneakily as he could.

"Yeah I'm fine," Jin looked at him and smiled. "I just had a tickle in my throat." When Zuko still appeared unconvinced, Jin's focus shifted to something past his face.

"Don't forget the lonely pigeon over there." She leaned across his lap to toss some crumbs to a gray bird that Zuko hadn't noticed earlier. The sudden proximity made him blush and he was glad she was too occupied to notice. For the brief moment she leaned across him, waves of chocolate hair lightly brushed his face. It smelled like strawberries. Then it was gone.

"Geez, Lee, if you were responsible for feeding these poor little guys, half of them would starve to death." She directed her attention back to the pigeon. "There there," she cooed, "it's alright now poor pigeon."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a sparrow pigeon?" Jin shook her head. "Pigeon hawk?"

She smiled and shrugged. "It's just a pigeon."

Zuko stared at her for a moment in disbelief. "This place is weird."

***

Iroh poked his head out the door and scanned the street for the fifth time. No sign of Zuko. Pinching his eyebrows together in concern, he closed the door and returned to his post behind the counter. It had been at least an hour since Zuko left. What if something happened?

Suddenly the door burst open to reveal his panting nephew who had apparently ran the entire way back. With a sigh of relief, he waited for Zuko to come to him before he spoke. "Where have you been? You should know better than to scare me like that! I have spent the last half hour worrying."

"I'm sorry, Uncle," Zuko panted as he reached for his apron. "I lost track of the time."

Iroh rolled his eyes. "Zuko, I am glad you spending time with your friend, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would warn me before disappearing for an hour next time."

"Yes, Uncle," Zuko replied, "It won't happen again."

"Good," Iroh grinned. "So, did you have a lovely hour-long break?" He wiggled his eyebrows. Zuko's face turned bright red.

"Uncle!" he scolded, "we're only friends."

_ Sure you are _Iroh thought. He couldn't help but notice that endearing look in Zuko's eyes every time he talked about her or chatted with her across the table. Many years of experience have taught him to recognize 'the look' when he saw it. 'Sparks' is what he called it when two people were obviously drawn to each other without even knowing it themselves. Not until the sparks finally started the fire of passion. And Iroh saw that sparks were definitely flying. But he chose not to press the issue knowing Zuko would only become irritated and deny it.

They finished their shift and began their walk home that evening. They walked past a pastry stand and Zuko stopped to examine their selection. Iroh raised his eyebrows. Zuko had never been that terribly interested in sweets before. He picked up a small cake coated in green frosting and purchased it with a few coins he produced from his pocket.

"What have you got there, Prince Zuko?" Iroh inquired after continuing their walk.

"It's just something Jin told me about," he replied. He bit into it and smiled.

Iroh pinched his eyebrows together in curiosity. "What are you smiling for?"

"It's chocolate." Zuko chuckled apparently remembering an inside joke of some sort. Iroh raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press him for details as they continued their walk home.

**In case anyone was wondering, yes, I stole that one part when Zuko was talking about the pigeon from Toff. I couldn't resist cuz that's like one of my favorite lines ever! Please comment!**


	6. Demand

**I'm soooo sorry it took so long! I have an excuse though! The internet on campus is retarded when it comes to fanfiction and this is the first time it let me upload anything. So here's the extremely late ch.6! Enjoy!**

The next day, Zuko started work bright and early. Every now and then he'd catch himself stealing glances at the door but mentally slapped himself for doing so. If Uncle caught him doing that, he'd never hear the end of it. But he still couldn't help but wonder what was keeping Jin. She normally came in for her tea late morning. It was now afternoon and she still hadn't come.

He tried to shrug it off. _She's probably busy _he thought. Something must have come up with her grandmother that would delay her from coming. _Maybe she doesn't feel like coming in today. _He was surprised how much that thought stung. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted, no, needed to know what was keeping her. What if something happened to her? Something bad. The very thought of harm coming to tiny Jin make him sick. Anxiety chilled his veins to the point where it was unbearable.

"Uncle!" Zuko called through the door, "I'll be taking my possibly hour-long break now."

"What are you waiting for?" Uncle replied. "Go! Get out and find her before you stare a hole in the door." Zuko glared at him before exiting. He'd noticed anyway. Stupid perceptive old man.

He stepped out the door into the sunshine and took a moment to remember which way Jin's house was on his way. He didn't realize how fast he was walking until he passed that same pastry stand he bought his first earth cake from. He skid to a stop and checked his pockets for loose change. Then he grinned as he got an idea.

***

_Cough cough!_ Jin's whole body ached while she waited impatiently for her coughing fit to end. She cuddled up in her covers and looked longingly out the window. _That's just great _she thought. _Why did I have to pick such a beautiful day to be sick?_ She felt terrible. It felt like her head was filled with cotton and her muscles ached all over for no reason. In her stupor she didn't realize her grandmother had entered to room until she spoke.

"How are you doing Jin dear?" she said in her frail tender voice. Jin smiled. No one could cure a cold like her grandmother. If it wasn't for her chicken soup and hot tea, Jin would feel much worse than she did now.

"I'm feeling a little better," Jin replied weakly. Her throat was still a little scratchy from her latest coughing fit. Her grandmother sat on the side of the bed and pressed a cool aged hand to Jin's forehead.

"Well, at least your fever's gone down." She tucked a stray hair behind Jin's ear and stroked her cheek. "Can I get you anything?"

"More tea, please."

"Alright you little tea addict," her grandmother teased before exiting the room. Even though Jin liked being cared for, she still hated being sick. _I wish Lee was here_ she thought. He'd be able to make her feel better. She suddenly felt very lonely.

Someone knocked on her open door to announce their presence. It was Lee…holding a cup of steaming tea and two frosted earthcakes. "Lee!" Jin squealed as she sat up in her bed. "I was just thinking about you and now you're here!" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you reading my thoughts?"

Lee smiled. "No, just your stomach," he said as he handed her the cup of tea she wanted along with a frosted earth cake. "You didn't show up for your daily cup of tea so I thought you died."

Jin rolled her eyes. "I _can _live without tea you know." She took a sip of the warm cup's fragrant contents. "I'm just not as easy to live with."

"You sound like my uncle," said Lee. "Without his tea he mopes around and complains about everything."

Jin laughed. "With me it's more like stomping around and yelling at everyone about nothing."

"In that case you'd better drink up before you throw me out of your room," he teased.

"Shut up! I'm working on it." She took another sip and set the cup on the nightstand. Then she examined the earth cake he gave her. "Is it chocolate?"

Lee shrugged. "One of them is." Jin's eyes widened in excitement.

"You remembered! Please be considerate if you win," she pinched her eyebrows together in mock self pity. "There's only so much a poor sick person can do."

"No promises."

"Very well, young grasshopper, make your move."

"Ladies first."

"No, by all means, I insist, you may go first."

"Perhaps we can go at the same time?"

"Alright, grasshopper, you drive a hard bargain, but it's a deal."

"On the count of three then?"

"Alright."

"One."

"Three!" Jin eagerly bit into her earth cake followed by a loud sigh of defeat. "You win, grasshopper. Mine's boring vanilla."

Lee's eyebrow shot up in what appeared to be surprise as he stared dumbly at the chocolate center of his pastry. "Don't tell me you didn't already think of some evil thing for me to do before you brought the earthcakes," she said.

"Shh! I'm thinking."

"Well I'm not gonna wait all day. I'm liable to fall asleep any minute you know."

"No you're not. You just had tea."

"I'm still sick though."

"True."

"Made up your mind yet?"

Lee bit his lip and looked to the side for a moment. "You have to promise to come and visit me at the tea shop every morning…when you're not sick that is."

Jin's eyebrows shot up. "That's it?" He nodded but said nothing; his features completely serious. "That's not much of a daring task."

"Hey! It's _my_ demand. It's your job to do it, not question it."

"Yeah, but I already do that. I don't think you're taking enough advantage of your demanding power."

"Just do it, okay?"

She searched his expression one last time for any hint of a joke but only found sincerity. His scarred eye narrowed to emphasize just how serious he was. "Okay, fine." She took another sip of her tea. He knew she came to the shop every morning. Except for this morning. Was he worried she'd stop seeing him and find a new best friend? Or was it more than that? She wanted to pry answers out of him, but knew he wouldn't admit anything like that. He seemed to keep a brick wall around his emotions. All she could do was guess what he was thinking. She set her tea down and pulled a blanket over her shoulders.

"Cold?" Lee asked.

"Yeah a little."

He hesitantly reached a hand for her face and placed it on her cheek. She could feel heat rush to her face and she knew she was blushing. How embarrassing! "That's weird. You have a fever." _Gosh! I wonder why that is _she thought sarcastically. After a slightly awkward moment, he took his hand back.

"Yeah I know, but the weird part is that my hands are cold." She looked down as she flexed her fingers and rubbed her hands together when suddenly an abnormally warm pair of large hands covered them completely.

"Better?"

Jin swallowed nervously. "Um…yeah." His hands were warm enough to toast her icy fingers back to a comfortable temperature. And she couldn't help but blush at thought of how nice they felt wrapped around hers. She cleared her throat. "Your hands are crazy warm."

Lee abruptly removed his hands. "Yeah, they get that way sometimes." He looked down examining them appearing to avoid eye contact._ Did he feel something special too? _ She immediately discarded the thought. It was this kind of thinking that got her in trouble the first time.

"Well," Lee stood up, "I promised Uncle I wouldn't take any more long breaks. I should go." He turned to walk out, then paused. "I hope you get well soon."

"Yeah," Jin said softly more to herself than to him. "Lee?" He stopped in the doorway and turned around. Their brief hand contact was like a buzzing in her ear that refused to go away even though she tried to dismiss it. And something was clearly bothering him too. Could she summon the guts to ask? She bit her lip. Lee waited patiently for her to speak. "...Thanks for the earthcake."

He smiled warmly. "Don't thank me. That's what grasshoppers do." Jin blew air out her nose in silent amusement and he was gone.

"Why am I such a chicken?" With an exasperated sigh, she slapped her pillow to her face and let herself fall onto the bed.

***

Zuko beat himself up the rest of the day. He was getting too close to this girl. She was beginning to cloud his judgment. What on earth would possess him to use his fire bending to warm her hands?! A normal exiled prince wanted for treason wouldn't make such a stupid move. Or any fire bender hiding in the middle of the Earth Kingdom for that matter!

And the earthcake game! Why did he ever think to pull _that_ stunt! He fully expected her to win so she could make her demand and feel better, but he must have gotten the pastries mixed up. He had no idea what to make her do, so he just demanded the first thing that came to his mind…which happened to deal with how worried he was about her that morning. Now because of his stupid impulsive nature, she most definitely guessed his fear of losing her. The idea that she knew made him feel very vulnerable and…exposed. He was so used to keeping his feelings under lock and key that sharing them, even accidently, felt wrong.

Zuko's thoughts continued to torment him well into the evening while he sat in his room. A sudden pounding on the door startled him out of his meditation.

"Open up!" came a man's muddled voice from behind the door. "The rent is due! You owe me rent!" In his irritation, Zuko simply ignored it. Uncle answered the door.

"Good evening, Sir. How may I help you?" Uncle's politeness only served to worsen Zuko's anger toward this rude bully. If only the dog knew that he spoke to royalty. _Then_ he would show them the respect they _deserve._ This man did NOT deserve Uncle's polite manners and kind nature.

"Are you deaf, old man? Didn't you hear me?" The man drawled out his words as if he were speaking to a child. "You. Owe. Me. RENT!" Then he rubbed his fingers together in front of Uncle's face.

This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Zuko got up and shoved Uncle aside. "MY UNCLE IS NOT A CHILD!" He seized the man by the collar and shoved him against the wall. "APOLOGIZE!"

The man didn't tremble in fear as Zuko expected him to. His face was purely comical as he started laughing in Zuko's face. Livid, Zuko felt the fire in his veins come alive and work its way through his limbs as he prepared to strike the man in the throat.

"No!" Zuko was suddenly brought back to reality when Uncle grabbed his arm before it became a lethal weapon. Slowly and reluctantly, Zuko released the man who continued the sneer at him.

"I don't have to apologize to either of you swine." He straightened his collar. "And if I don't get my rent my morning, I'm getting the Dai Lee to throw you animals out of my building," he said in a slippery voice that was eerily calm. "That is after they search your things for anything valuable enough to pay your debt." He smiled mockingly to both of them before exiting the room. "Have a good evening." Zuko slammed the door in his face so hard he thought he could hear the man stagger backward on the other side before walking away.

"Zuko," Iroh began, "You must learn to better control your anger," he put a hand on Zuko's arm, "for both our sakes."

Zuko violently threw off Uncle's arm. "I'm tired of living like this, Uncle! Always having to scrape and save to get by. I'M SICK OF IT!" Before Uncle could feed him one of his useless proverbs, Zuko stomped into his room and slammed the door shut.

As he lay on his bed, he put his hands over his eyes while he waited for his breathing to slow. He couldn't take it any longer. He had to do something. He _needed_ to do something. After listening carefully for Uncle's snores to be sure he wouldn't hear, Zuko crouched to the floor and slid a small wooden box out from under his bed. Carefully removing the lid, he took out a blue mask wrapped in cloth. He held it for a time pondering to possibilities. He had used this for their advantage before, but had resisted the temptation out of fear that Uncle would discover his secret. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Carefully and quietly he dressed himself in black, tied his twin swords two his belt, and secured the mask to his face. Then like a shadow, the Blue Spirit crept out the window and vanished into the night.

**Ch. 7 might be long in coming because I still haven't quite figured out what I want to happen. That and I'm REALLY short on free time. So prepare yourselves for a long wait. I'll try my best to make it worth it!**


End file.
